-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
The TRUTH about Sonos home cinema and sound bar solutions
- Thread starter Geoff
- Start date
OP
OP
see if you have lag first. If it works it works. But it never works for me.
I've never encountered an external sound system that didn't have some lag, but it's usually only something I notice when playing Taiko Drum Master.
Get a Yamaha or Sony AV amp, two standmount speakers and a centre speaker. You'll have a vastly better experience.
Last edited:
You fail to grasp the greatness of the word that means "solutions that you can apply on your own".
The bitstream out DD5.1 option on xbox one (X at least, in my case) is laggy as fuck. It is extremely distracting. Otherwise, using my sonos system with an Apple TV thru my Sony tv is not a problem.
But seriously, I am going crazy and I am starting to really dislike the xbox just because of this and the shitty blu-ray player.
OP
OP
Yeah that was the major factor in this. I could live with some of the tiny bits of lag from other sources but the xbox was just...wow.
Optical direct from xbox to sonos fixes the issue. The splitter is just so you don't have to keep moving cables around.
Years ago when I used surround speakers, I used to notice the lag when playing sports titles or when watching Sports. Optical either helps 100%, or it'll drive you nuts if your TV has a lag.
Whiterose out. 🖕🐰🖕
Whiterose out. 🖕🐰🖕
Bought a Beam on Black Friday, noticed a bit of delay, tweaked it using the TV/Sonos app settings and it's all good now :)
Unless you mean that it drifts over time? Because I've not noticed that, and if it does/I do, I'll never forgive you
Unless you mean that it drifts over time? Because I've not noticed that, and if it does/I do, I'll never forgive you
Same! I have 3 Ones and a Beam and I've never had an issue, ever. My understanding was that everyone loved them but, uh , I guess not.
OP
OP
I don't know about drift but it usually happens when there is DD going on. Which means that if you adjust for it, when you get stereo you have to adjust back. Which is annoying.
I was drunk when I made this thread, so sorry about the aggressive tone lol. I am interested in other people's experiences here though because I can't understand how people are not getting lag.
I first noticed this when I had a playbar some five years ago or more. At that time I had a Samsung 1080p 3D TV, I can't remember the model number but it was at the high end of the market. I didn't notice lag through my consoles at that time, nor through Smart TV apps but on my Sky box it was maddening. Whatever I set the audio delay to, it would need adjusting according to which channel I was watching (though I now think this was due to some being presented in stereo and some in DD). And once I noticed it, it became an obsession. I would always look out for it and I would often find it. In the end I just learned to live with it.
Last year I moved house and couldn't Sky so switched to Virgin and bought a new TV - a LG OLED 4K C7. Still with the playbar. Similar issues. Not exactly the same but at least as bad if not worse with the virgin box and now also with the PS4 as a bluray player.
Around this time I bought one Sonos One. Then another one for pairing.
I then renovated another room to use as another living room. Bought a new TV - a Phillips 7304 4K LED I got on sale. This is a cheaper TV. I considered buying a 'proper' home theatre system this time but I was spending so much money on renovations and I already had the two Sonos Ones I just thought 'fuck it' and bought a Beam. Yet again similar lag issues through Virgin and Blurays through my Xbox are absolutely horrendous. The only way I could fix that was to intentionally lag the picture by adding in all that IQ correction shit you're supposed to turn off. Which did alleviate the problem somewhat but not completely.
Until the other day when I decided to try taking the optical out of my TV and run iut directly to the Xbox. Boom problem solved.
I have no idea why I didn't try this before. I guess I didn't want even more cables. But now I have optical cables running from my TV, Xbox and Virgin box to a splitter to the Beam and everything is in sync.
So that's three TVs. three manufacturers, all with HDMI passthrough, all with lipsync issues. So I think it must be a pretty big problem. But all these people say they've never noticed it. I'm not sure if it's really not a problem for them or they just don't notice it. My wife has never noticed it either. She doesn't know what the fuck I'm talking about lol.
If you don't notice it, I guess the best thing to do is close this thread and never think about it again because if you look for it and find it, you'll never be able to not notice it again.
One thing to check, if you have your sound set to PCM on your output device, everything works fine. But PCM won't play in surround sound with HDMI passthrough. ARC will only process stereo. It sounds like shit compared to DD. Check your Sonos app to see if you are getting 5.1, you won't get it if your device is set to PCM
Last edited:
OP
OP
I wonder if an even better solution would be to get a HDMI splitter and send the audio to the SONOS that way. That would mean you could get uncompressed PCM 5.1 instead of DD compressed 5.1 (optical can't carry uncompressed PCM).
Ah well fuck I can't be arsed now. It works and I'm happy.
Ah well fuck I can't be arsed now. It works and I'm happy.
On amazon app this morning I saw this bargain:
It's a fantastic price for a very good atmos soundbar with Harmon Kardon drivers and tech, but when I navigated to it on the website the offer was no longer there. Went back to my cart on the app and can still get to the bargain price. Hopefully that link works for folks. It says seven left and keeps changing the delivery date so it's a weird offer fo sho.
It's a fantastic price for a very good atmos soundbar with Harmon Kardon drivers and tech, but when I navigated to it on the website the offer was no longer there. Went back to my cart on the app and can still get to the bargain price. Hopefully that link works for folks. It says seven left and keeps changing the delivery date so it's a weird offer fo sho.
I went with an HDMI splitter from HDfury - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBB31HP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There appear to be cheaper units on Amazon but tbh their lists of caveats seems confusing. It's possible there's a $45 dongle that does the exact same thing just as well, but I was in a hurry and wanted confidence.
My issue was needing Atmos audio, 4k and HDR at the same time. With my soundbar (Yamaha YSP 5600) I could only pass through two of three, so I'd have to sacrifice something. I asked HDfury customer service right in the amazon link if their splitter would fix that for me - and it was a firm yes, it solved all my issues and has been plugged in for a year without a hitch. So it takes those three formats from my Xbox One X - and sends video directly to the TV - retaining 4k and HDR - and sends Atmos audio over HDMI with no compression or interruption and is totally lag free. In fact if I have audio turned up on the TV speakers it's impossible to distinguish on timing, just the odd tinnyness of the TV speakers.
You can check your specific scenario and they should answer your question VERY quickly. I was really happy with this since there's literally no downside apart from the extra cable. The splitter is powered, but I have it connected to the spare USB on the xbox for power since it's only ever used for that and Amazon radio/music stuff. There's no need to select or switch anything - once you have it hooked up, it's basically done. No tinkering, no setting, no source switching.
For the TCL Roku TVs, I'd recommend their 2/2.1 speaker setup, it's good, we're happy with it. Occassionally it craps out, but not often. I think it uses local wifi for wireless but it does a good job of keeping that all seamless. You plug them in, go to your TV, add speakers, and it does it all for you.
Quality of life is more important to me than some of the bells and whistles of better audio setups... So like, having a single roku TV remote, and not having wires, and not having devices have to do anything special to use the speakers, etc., is all more important to me than better sounding systems.
I have the Sonos sound bar, amp, and Sonos ones for surround
I swear regardless of how I tweak it, dialog is drowned out
Can't hear shit
I swear regardless of how I tweak it, dialog is drowned out
Can't hear shit
I have a Sonos Soundbar + 2x Play:1s for rear channelson my C7 oled TV.
When playing games on my Xbox I can't handle the lag and have to use headphones plugged into a controller for proper synced audio (playing modern warfare with that lag......*pukes*).
Will the optical splitter thing work for my issue?
When playing games on my Xbox I can't handle the lag and have to use headphones plugged into a controller for proper synced audio (playing modern warfare with that lag......*pukes*).
Will the optical splitter thing work for my issue?
I just recently bought a full Sonos setup, 5.1 w/ playbar, a play 5 and Move. The sound quality is great, but I'll probably end up returning the 5.1 and going back to my Vizio 5.1 system. A big reason is that for some reason I can no longer control the volume of my TV/soundbar with my Apple TV remote. I need to keep my TV's remote around, which is kind of a pain especially when my last system was much more seamless and cost FAR less. Also, all that sound is most definitely overkill for my smallish living room/kitchen.
I wonder if swapping the Playbar for the Beam would solve those two problems, having an HDMI ARC connection, and not having the same sound quality as the Playbar might actually work better for my space.
I wonder if swapping the Playbar for the Beam would solve those two problems, having an HDMI ARC connection, and not having the same sound quality as the Playbar might actually work better for my space.
You are a terrible human being and you should be ashamed. lol /s
yeah I ran into this for a cheapy soundbar under my kitchen TV. i had to use analog to keep the volume control on the TV remote (Vizio). that said, besides feeling like a goddamned dinosaur plugging it in, it works well. I'd like to use optical but there's no way i'm keeping the soundbar remote out just for volume control alone.
Maybe it's defective. I can hear dialogue fine normally with my Playbase, and turning on the dialogue enhancer definitely makes a noticeable difference (I leave it off most of the time).
OP
OP
OP
OP
Yeah definitely makes a difference for me. Have it on all the time
OP
OP
I went with an HDMI splitter from HDfury - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBB31HP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There appear to be cheaper units on Amazon but tbh their lists of caveats seems confusing. It's possible there's a $45 dongle that does the exact same thing just as well, but I was in a hurry and wanted confidence.
My issue was needing Atmos audio, 4k and HDR at the same time. With my soundbar (Yamaha YSP 5600) I could only pass through two of three, so I'd have to sacrifice something. I asked HDfury customer service right in the amazon link if their splitter would fix that for me - and it was a firm yes, it solved all my issues and has been plugged in for a year without a hitch. So it takes those three formats from my Xbox One X - and sends video directly to the TV - retaining 4k and HDR - and sends Atmos audio over HDMI with no compression or interruption and is totally lag free. In fact if I have audio turned up on the TV speakers it's impossible to distinguish on timing, just the odd tinnyness of the TV speakers.
You can check your specific scenario and they should answer your question VERY quickly. I was really happy with this since there's literally no downside apart from the extra cable. The splitter is powered, but I have it connected to the spare USB on the xbox for power since it's only ever used for that and Amazon radio/music stuff. There's no need to select or switch anything - once you have it hooked up, it's basically done. No tinkering, no setting, no source switching.
Hmm. Next time I get annoyed I'll consider this advice. That splitter box sure looks purty.
So what's the best audio system solution below $300?
All of these threads always have people saying "don't get a soundbar ;)" "use an audio system ;)" with no actual links or solutions. Unless y'all want everyone to drop $800 on an AV system for their living room.
All of these threads always have people saying "don't get a soundbar ;)" "use an audio system ;)" with no actual links or solutions. Unless y'all want everyone to drop $800 on an AV system for their living room.
Last edited:
I have lag with my Vizio sound bar when it's hooked up via HDMI Arc. You telling me I could maybe fix it if I go optical? Got a link to the splitter you use?
edit: I also use a Samsung ks8000 in game mode so I imagine that'll make the sound delay even more noticeable.
edit: I also use a Samsung ks8000 in game mode so I imagine that'll make the sound delay even more noticeable.
lol the Amazon Echo Studio does have some monkeypaw bullshit. It's all fixable and apparently Amazon is working on updates but...
Yes you get pretty compelling Atmos audio from a single discrete unit for $200.
Yes you can use it as an Alexa device for music, podcasts, smarthome stuff etc.
But you need to pair it with the Echo sub if you want bass.
And it only works for movies via a Fire TV
And the echo sub doesn't support movie content, only music... what?
And to use it for watching football games (that TV's main function in my house) I need to connect it via aux cable to the TV physically because it doesn't actually connect to your TV, just the Firetv via wifi. Maybe there's a Bluetooth mode? It's extremely confusing.
Yes you get pretty compelling Atmos audio from a single discrete unit for $200.
Yes you can use it as an Alexa device for music, podcasts, smarthome stuff etc.
But you need to pair it with the Echo sub if you want bass.
And it only works for movies via a Fire TV
And the echo sub doesn't support movie content, only music... what?
And to use it for watching football games (that TV's main function in my house) I need to connect it via aux cable to the TV physically because it doesn't actually connect to your TV, just the Firetv via wifi. Maybe there's a Bluetooth mode? It's extremely confusing.
OP
OP
Probably a TV problem bit I only have Sonos so I can't be sure
I believe so
Neoteck SPDIF Toslink Switcher 3... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074FWQPDL?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Just this, nothing special
OP
OP
I guess that's why you get a HDMI splitter? I don't have Atmos so I don't know
I got the 2016 Yamaha Yas soundbar about two years ago and I haven't any delay with the HDMI ARC connection on my TCL.
Even YouTubed a audio delay test when I was originally hooking it up.